Meandering Mississippi

via bicycle from New Orleans to Itasca, Minnesota

with WomanTours

May 10 - June 18, 2007

Introduction & Sightseeing in New Orleans is below

 This will be the longest bicycle trip I've ever taken, and the first time I did a web page as I traveled. 

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There will be links you can click on for additional information, and I will separate the trip into sections so it will load faster on dial-up modems. I will also only include small thumbnails of my pictures on the main page so it will load faster and you can see a larger picture if you wish my clicking on the thumbnail (see the directions below).

week 1

May 11 - May 17

New Orleans to Vicksburg, MS

361.0 miles

week 2

May 18 - May 24

Vicksburg to Charleston, MO

444.6 miles

week 3

May 25 - May 31

Charleston to Keokuk, Iowa

383.7 miles

week 4

June 1 - June 7

Burlington, IA to LaCrosse, WI 

346.1 miles

week 5

June 8 - June 14

LaCrosse, WI to Little Falls, MN 

284.6 miles

week 6

June 15 - June 18

Little Falls to Itasca, MN 

139.0 miles

pictures

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 2) right click on the larger image if you want to save the picture

3) click on your Internet Browser's Back arrow  to return to this page

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me on my Lightning R-84 -- a super light dual-suspension carbon fiber bicycle with a 3-pound frame made of aerospace grade carbon fiber, titanium, and oversized aluminum

On the Meandering Mississippi tour we will follow the mighty Mississippi north from its mouth in New Orleans for nearly 2,000 miles to its source deep in the woods of Minnesota at Itasca. We’ll travel through 10 states, cross the river several times by bridge and by ferry, and pedal along parts of the National Great River Road, the Millennium Mississippi River Trail and the historic Natchez Trace.

We will bike for 31 of the 40 days, and an updated daily itinerary with the miles we ride and the city we stay in each night is shown below. Notice that we have six rest days during the ride in Natchez, Memphis, St. Louis, Burlington, LaCrosse, and Little Falls and spend an extra day at the end of the trip in Itasca State Park. 

the specific stopover towns and mileages are, however, subject to change

Date	Location	Miles
May 10	New Orleans, LA	0
Week 1
May 11	La Place, LA	37
May 12	Donaldson, LA	37
May 13	New Roads, LA	85
May 14	Natchez, MS	85
May 15	Natchez, MS	0
May 16	Vicksburg, MS	82
May 17	Vicksburg, MS	18
Week 2
May 18	Indianola, MS	107
May 19	Clarksdale, MS	62
May 20	Memphis, TN	91
May 21	Memphis, TN	0
May 22	Covington, TN	62
May 23	Dyersburg, TN	43
May 24	Charleston, MO	76
Week 3
May 25	Cape Girardeau, MO	49
May 26	Ste. Genevieve, MO	64
May 27	St. Louis, MO	48
May 28	St. Louis, MO	0
May 29	Grafton, IL	42
May 30	Hannibal, MO	93
May 31	Keokuk, IA	69
Week 4
June 1	Burlington, IA	54
June 2	Burlington, IA	0
June 3	Muscatine, IA	60
June 4	Maquoketa, IA	71
June 5	Dyersville, IA	59
June 6	Prairie du Chien, WI	48
June 7	La Crosse, WI	62
Week 5
June 8	La Crosse, WI	0
June 9	Wabasha, MN	60
June 10	Red Wing, MN	32
June 11	Stillwater, MN	48
June 12	Cambridge, MN	51
June 13	Little Falls , MN	77
June 14	Little Falls , MN	0
Week 6
June 15	Pine River , MN	65
June 16	Itasca, State Park, MN	87
June 17	Itasca, State Park, MN	0
June 18	Shuttle to Minneapolis	0

The small map at the left and the big map below shows the route 26 women will follow north from New Orleans. In addition 2 women will ride from New Orleans to Memphis, 1 from New Orleans to St, Louis, and 3 from St, Louis to Itasca for a total of 32 women involved in this adventure. This total includes 2 Woman Tour guides and 4 woman who will share the job of driving the sag vehicle. We stay in motels with beds and hot showers every night.

Normally a chef who travels with us will fix our dinner in a kitchen in the back of the trailer they pull behind their van; however, We eat dinner tonight at 7 at a local restaurant and since I don't need to go to the bike setup meeting as my bike did not arrive boxed up, I have a couple of hours to work on my computer and on my luggage. 

Below are several pictures from my walking tour of the Garden District.

the Wyndham Hotel at Canal Place

Diocesan house built 1856-57 as the residence of Miss Lavinia Dabney – now owned by the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana

Colonel Short’s Villa – this property has a very distinctive fence

the gate of the corn fence has a bundle of corn on each post, vines down the post and a pumpkin at the bottom

a family vault in the cemetery - when an old vault is taken over by a new family, the marble tablet of the old family is placed on the side 

when there is a funeral the casket is placed on the top shelf & if there is already a casket in the vault the wood or metal casket is discarded and the decayed bones placed below

this house is one of 3 that exhibit the picturesque or chalet style

the New Orleans flag

the home of Archie Manning - Peyton Manning grew up here

Day 1       Day 2       Day 3       Day 4       Day 5       Day 6       Day 7

Day 1 - May 11, 2007

New Orleans to La Place, Louisiana - 37.2 miles

(back to beginning of week 1)

The day started with a buffet breakfast in the Wyndham Hotel then we all gathered at the van at the front entrance to the hotel to load our luggage and select our snacks. From there we walked our bikes to the wharf where we would board the John James Audubon for a 7 mile cruise to the Audubon Zoo. However, instead of going to the zoo we got on The Mississippi River Trail (MRT) bike path which goes about 22 miles upstream on the Mississippi river levee. Then we rode on several lightly traveled roads and the Bonnet Carre Spillway until we arrived at our destination--the Best Western La Place Inn. They gave each of us a small basket containing an apple, banana, bag of chips, Kellogg's bar, and bottle of water. It was a very pleasant surprise. I arrived about 2 pm and the sign board stated that dinner would be at 6 so I had 4 lovely hours to get cleaned up, relax, and get on the computer. It was a VERY pleasant day--no hills, no rain, no head wind, and not too hot. Dinner consisted of a very good salad, fresh strawberries, Italian bread, spaghetti with a choice of vegetarian sauce or a sauce with chicken and sausage meatballs. We topped the dinner off with apple cobbler. 

a group picture on the boat dock

New Orleans from the river

unloading a container ship

the Crescent City Connection bridge

Day 2 - May 12, 2007

La Place to Donaldsville, Louisiana - 45.8 miles

(back to beginning of week 1)

Last night at the route meeting after dinner we found out there was a change because the ferry we were suppose to ride across the Mississippi doesn't run on weekends. Thus, the day's route got a little longer, and we had our first hill--going up and over the Veterans Memorial Bridge. The climb wasn't bad as the grade was only 7-8% according to my GPS computer, and I didn't even use my two lowest gears. However, there were several expansion plates in the bridge that I had  to stop for and walk my bike across as they had huge spaces that could swallow a bicycle tire. We passed several plantations today and several of us stopped at Laura's Creole Plantation and took a tour. It was VERY interesting, and the tour guide, who is the present owner told us how the Creoles ran their businesses. In 1804 Guillaume DuParc, a French veteran of the American Revolution, set up his sugarcane plantation on the Great River road at Vacherie, Louisiana, on the site of a Colapissa Indian village. It remained in his family until 1891 when his great-granddaughter, Laura Locoul, sold it to the Florian Waguespack family. Today 12, original buildings, including slave cabins, still stand on this National Register site.  I also stopped and took pictures of the outside of the Oak Alley Plantation which is also a National Register site but didn't go inside. In the upper 1700's an unknown settler planted 28 evenly spaced oak trees in two rows leading from his cottage to the mighty Mississippi. In 1839 Jacques Telesphore Roman, a wealthy Creole sugar cane planter, built the spectacular mansion that has been authentically restored to its original grandeur. In the slave quarters at Laura and neighboring plantations were recorded for the first time in the US the west-African folk stories of "Compair Lapin," better known today as the tales of "Br'er Rabbbit." And the mother of Fats Domino was born in one of the Laura slave cabins.

Veterans Memorial Bridge

7-8% grade going up

Laura Plantation

Laura's Great grandparents

Oak Alley Plantation

Oak Alley Plantation

some type of egret we saw along the road

the egret flying away

Day 3 - May 13, 2007

Donaldsville to New Roads, Louisiana - 85.5 miles

(back to beginning of week 1)

This was our first long day and I started at 7 am. I asked Judy Norris from Edmonton, Alberta, if she wanted to ride together  as I noticed yesterday that we rode at about the same pace. She agreed and we took off together. We were doing great together and averaged better than 12 mph when we came across Chris with a flat tire. Judy started changing the tire, and had a hard time getting the tire off with her tool but managed it. Two more riders stopped and one of them was able to get the tire back on with the new tube. Poor Chris had two flat tires yesterday and went through 4 tubes as 2 tubes failed as soon as she put them on. The heat was terrific and being in the sun for 45 minutes while the  tire was being changed zapped my strength and really zapped Judy as she was working hard. 

We stopped to take a picture of the Nottoway Plantation from the road and stopped to visit the Madonna Chapel, the smallest church in the world. It was built by Anthony Gullo in 1903 for prayers answered. Mass is said there once a year on Assumption Day--August 25.  

At the Intercoastal Waterway Bridge we stopped at a sag stop and waited for Georgia to follow us across as there was lots of traffic and no shoulder. We waited until there were several riders and Georgia drove behind us with her lights flashing so we could take one of the two lanes going north. Also Laurie, one of the guides, happened to be riding with our group and she expertly led us through the maze of traffic and turns on the other side of the bridge. Judy and Chris both sagged in at about the 70 mile mark--Judy had a little nausea and Chris had a bad headache. Both problems were probably caused by the heat. Thus I finished last, but Laurie rode with me much of the way and kept checking on me. I averaged 11.6 mph but due to the long stop for the tire and the bridge crossing didn't finish until 5:30.

Nottoway Plantation 

(completed in 1859)

Madonna Chapel

built in 1902 it measures 8' by 8'

story of the Madonna Chapel

Day 4 - May 14, 2007

New Roads, Louisiana to Natchez, Mississippi - 86.0 miles

(back to beginning of week 1)

Another long day and Judy and I started 30 minutes earlier. There wasn't anything on this route after about the first 10 miles so Michelle had lunch for us at the 54 mile mark. I was getting very sleepy and Judy was getting nauseous again so we stopped and laid down in the grass. That helped plus the sag van came by and stopped when they saw us. When they heard what the problems were they poured water over our heads. Judy and I both finished, but we are staying in different inns--7/10 of a mile apart so I hope we can connect with each other on Wednesday for our next riding day.

after crossing this Vidalia-Natchez twin cantilever bridge carrying US 65, 84, and 425 across the Mississippi River between Vidalia, Louisiana and Natchez, Mississippi. we entered our 2nd state of the 9 state ride

our welcome to Mississippi

Day 5 - May 15, 2007

Natchez, Mississippi - a rest day

(back to beginning of week 1)

We are staying in two hotels in Natchez--some of us are at the Briars Inn, a lovely B&B that was built between 1814 and 1818 in Southern Planter style, and others are at the Natchez Eola Hotel. In 1828 the Briars became the home of the William Burr Howell family, and their eldest daughter married Jefferson Davis in the parlor on 2/26/1845. There are 19 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds and spectacular views of the Mississippi River. I slept for 10 hours Monday evening and just lounged around on Tuesday. It rained hard Monday evening and rained again on Tuesday so I was glad I wasn't out running around in the rain. Tuesday started with a southern style plantation breakfast which was delicious. Dusty arranged to have a small city  bus come and pick 11 of us to take us downtown for dinner then Laurie brought us back in the van. All in all a pleasant and restful day!

front view of the Briars Inn

back view of the Briars Inn

Day 6 - May 16, 2007

Natchez to Vicksburg, Mississippi - 87.2 miles

(back to beginning of week 1)

The day was a little longer than originally planned because of a construction zone in town and there were a lot of turns, but I followed several other riders and had no problems. I never saw Judy all day as they had breakfast earlier at their hotel and left at least 30 minutes before we did. After about 4 miles we entered the Natchez Trace Parkway and stayed on it for 59 miles. It was a nice two-lane road with very little traffic. Also, the weather was cooler, and it rained briefly and was cloudy most of the day. I stopped to view several of the sights along the parkway. The Parkway was quite hilly--not steep hills but constant ups and downs. After exiting the Parkway the 5 of us who were riding together at that time stopped at a historic Cross Roads country store and bought some cold sodas. The ride into Vicksburg at the end of a LONG day was also quite hilly and very tiring. The 3 of us--Gloria, Dusty, and myself--finished at 6:20 and dinner was suppose to be at 6:30 so I went straight to dinner, but they held dinner until the last rider finished so we ate about 7 o'clock. 

The Natchez Parkway as shown on the adjacent map extends from Natchez to Nashville. It is 444 mile (715 km) long, in the form of a limited-access two-lane road. The purpose of the road is to commemorate the original route of the Natchez Trace.

The two Barbaras who are on the Meandering Mississippi trip--Barb Anderson and myself

explanation of the Loess bluff

the Loess Bluff

Mount Locust, one of 50 inns that existed between 1785 and 1830 along the Trace

a picture of the scenic parkway

explanation of the sunken trace

the sunken trace

our van and trailer with Laurie, our guide

Day 7 - May 17, 2007

Vicksburg, Mississippi - 18.3 miles

(back to beginning of week 1)

Today was suppose to be a 13.9 mile loop through the Vicksburg National Military Park, but when Laurie handed out the maps and asked for a show of hands of those interested in the tour I was the only one who raised her hand. A few others wanted to go to the park but at a different time. So Laura said we could do what we wanted it was a free day but WomanTours would pay the entrance fee for anyone going to the park. The next morning at breakfast I found out the hotel had a visitor tour guide for the city and as I was looking at it and talking with the others at the table I liked what Linda was going to do and asked if I could join her. We left the inn about 10 o'clock and went to the Military Park first. We saw the introductory video, cycled around most of the park viewing the many memorials then went down the hill to see the Cairo ironclad vessel that had been salvaged from the river and could now be boarded for a short tour. Then we WALKED back up the hill and exited the park at the opposite end. From there we rode down to the Mississippi River levee wall to see the murals that have been painted on it. There are currently 20 large murals with a 21st in progress. Each mural has a carved stone in front of it that explains the mural and each mural has a floodlight so they can be seen at night. We  then continued on up the river past several casinos to an observation point with an excellent view of the Mississippi and Yazoo Rivers and the twin Mississippi bridges. We didn't get back to the inn until about 4 o'clock, and though a short ride it had been a difficult day because Vicksburg is full of hills.

entrance of the Vicksburg National Military Park

one of the regimental Indiana memorials

a row of Union cannon in their original positions

Illinois State Memorial

Kansas Sate Memorial

The bottom circle represents the unity of the pre-civil war era while the broken circle in the center represents the union torn apart by the war and the perfect circle at the top depicts the regained unity of the post war era. The eagle on top typifies the glorious majesty of our country.

a memorial commemorating the service of the 1^st  and 3^rd Mississippi Infantry Regiments of African descent and all Mississippians of African descent who participated in the Vicksburg campaign

two views of the Rhode Island memorial

a tree stump in back of the soldier has a minnie ball through it and the soldier is waving a US flag of that era

pictures of the Cairo, an ironclad river vessel, that was torpedoed by the Confederates during the battle at Vicksburg

one of the riverboat casinos

two of the murals on the levee wall

the Mississippi River bridges at sunset

& the Sprague on its last voyage

the Yazoo River

the twin Mississippi River bridges

week 2

May 18 - May 24

Vicksburg to Charleston, MO

444.6 miles

week 3

May 25 - May 31

Charleston to Keokuk, Iowa

383.7 miles

week 4

June 1 - June 7

Burlington, IA to LaCrosse, WI 

346.1 miles

week 5

June 8 - June 14

LaCrosse, WI to Little Falls, MN 

284.6 miles

week 6

June 15 - June 18

Little Falls to Itasca, MN 

151.4 miles

for pictures of other vacations return to the Vacation Photos page